UC-NRLF 


" 

523 


EXCHANGE 


ill 


. 


OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  RARE  E^JIMS 

THE  ULTRA-VIOLET  ARC  SPECTRUM 

OF  YTTRIUM 


BY 


LEONARD  FRANCIS  YNTEMA 

A.  B.  Hope  College,  1915 
A.  M.  University  of  Illinois,  1917 


THESIS 

VITTKD  IN   PARTIAL  FULFILLMENT  OF  THE  REQUIREMENTS  FOR  THE 

DEGREE  OF 

DOCTOR  OF  PHILOSOPHY 

IN  CHEMISTRY 

IN 

THE  GRADUATE  SCHOOL 
OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
1921 


OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  RARE  EARTHS: 

THE  ULTRA-VIOLET  ARC  SPECTRUM 

OF  YTTRIUM 


BY 


LEONARD  FRANCIS  YNTEMA 

» i 

A.  B.  Hope  College,  1915 
A.  M.  University  of  Illinois,  1917 


THESIS 

SUBMITTED  IN  PARTIAL  FULFILLMENT  OF  THE  REQUIREMENTS  FOR  THE 

DEGREE  OF 

DOCTOR  OF  PHILOSOPHY 

IN  CHEMISTRY 


THE  GRADUATE  SCHOOL 
OF  THE 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
1921 


•  *  •  .•  ••:  •••••; 
•V-s  •/•  v":  :  '• 


I 


A 


Reprinted  from  the 

JOURNAL  OF  THE  OPTICAL  SOCIETY  AND  REVIEW  OF  SCIENTIFIC  INSTRUMENTS 
Volume  VI.  Number  2,  March,  1922 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

I.  Introduction 1 

II.  Historical 1 

III.  Material  and  Apparatus 1 

IV.  Procedure 2 

V.  Results 2 

VI.  Summary 14 


478657 


ACKNOWLEDGMENT 

The  author  wishes  to  express  his  appreciation  of  the  help  and 
encouragement  given  by  Professor  B.  S.  Hopkins,  who  suggested 
this  problem  and  under  whose  direction  the  work  was  done. 


OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  RARE  EARTHS,  XI:  THE  ARC 
SPECTRUM  OF  YTTRIUM1 

BY 

L.  F.  YNTEMA  WITH  B.  S.  HOPKINS 

During  the  progress  of  the  work  on  the  rare  earth  group  of 
elements  at  the  University  of  Illinois,  several  members  of  the 
group  have  been  separated  in  a  high  state  of  purity  and  their 
atomic  weights  determined.  This  present  investigation  is  a  part 
of  a  plan  that  comprises  the  spectroscopic  examination  of  a 
number  of  those  elements  in  order  to  establish  standards  of  purity 
that  can  be  employed  in  future  work  on  the  separation  of  the 
members  of  the  group. 

The  emission  spectrum  of  yttrium  has  been  studied  by  a  num- 
ber of  workers.  Values  have  been  published  by  Kayser,2  Eber- 
hard,3  and  Exner  and  Haschek.4  The  latest,  and  probably  the  best 
determinations  are  those  of  Eder,5  which  were  made  on  yttrium 
material  prepared  by  Auer  v.  Welsbach.  They  are  included  in  the 
following  table. 

The  yttrium  examined  was  a  portion  of  that  prepared  by  the 
one  of  us  and  co-workers  for  the  determination  of  the  atomic 
weight  value  that  has  lately  been  accepted  by  the  International 
Committee  on  Atomic  Weights.6  The  only  known  impurity  was 
0. 005  per  cent  or  less  of  holmium, — an  estimate  made  by  compar- 
ing the  intensity  of  the  absorption  spectrum  with  standard  solu- 
tions. 

The  spectrograph  used  is  an  autocollimating  quartz  prism 
machine  constructed  by  Adam  Hilger  of  London.  Its  dispersion 
increases  from  17.5  angstroms  per  millimeter  at  4500A0  to  1.5 
angstroms  per  millimeter  at  2200  A°. 

1  Submitted  by  L.  F.  Yntema  to  the  Graduate  School  of  the  University  of  Illinois 
in  partial  fulfillment  of  the  requirements  for  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy. 
Contribution  from  the  Chemical  Laboratory  of  the  University  of  Illinois. 

2  Konigl.  preuss.  Akad.  d.  Wiss.,  Berlin,  1903. 

3  Zeitschr.  f.  wiss.  Photogr.,  7,  p.  245, 1909. 

4  "Die  Spektren  der  Elemente  bei  normalem  Druck,  II,"  Leipzig  und  Wien,  1911. 
6  Sitzber,  K.  Akad.  wiss.,  Wien,  Ila,  125,  p.  471. 

•  J.  Amer.  Chem.  Soc.,  42,  p.  327,  1920;  Ibid.,  41,  p.  718, 1919.   Ibid.,  38,  p.  2332, 
1916. 

1 


The  iron  spectrum  was  employed  as  reference.7  A  bar  of  pure 
iron  for  this  purpose  was  k'ndly  furnished  by  the  Westinghouse 
Electric  and  Manufacturing  Company  of  East  Pittsburg,  Penn- 
sylvania. Copper  electrodes,  as  carriers  for  the  yttrium  oxide, 
were  found  to  be  preferable  to  the  graphite  generally  employed, 
because  the  copper  arc  is  steadier  and  the  electrodes  do  not  burn 
away  as  rapidly.  Furthermore,  a  regulus  of  yttrium  oxide  in  the 
molten  copper  is  formed  and  mechanical  loss  is  avoided.8 

A  direct  current  of  four  or  five  amperes  at  an  E.M.F.  of  220 
volts  was  used.9 

Seed  plates,  No.  23,  size  4"  by  10",  were  used  and  hydrochinone 
was  used  as  a  developer.  The  negative  plates  were  measured  on  a 
dividing  engine,  made  by  Adam  Hilger  of  London,  which  is  gradu- 
ated to  read  to  0.  001  millimeter. 

The  wave-lengths  in  International  Angstrom  units,  were  cal- 
culated by  Hartmann's  dispersion  formula.10 


R-R0 

The  mean  of  the  determinations  from  at  least  four  plates  was 
taken. 

The  results  are  given  in  the  following  table.  The  first  column 
gives  the  wave-lengths  as  measured  in  International  Angstroms. 
The  second  column  indicates  the  intensity  and  character  of  each 
line,  the  most  prominent  lines  being  assigned  an  intensity  "10" 
and  the  faintest  lines  an  intensity  "1."  The  character  or  appear- 
ance of  a  line  is  indicated  by  letters  that  have  the  following  signifi- 
cance : 

d  =  diffuse 
z>  =  shaded  to  violet 
R  =  reversed 

BR  =  head  of  a  band  toward  red 

The  column  headed  "Notes"  contains  other  elements  having 
lines  that  coincide  closely  with  yttrium  lines  of  lower  order  of 

7  Handbuch  der  Spectroscopie,  VI.  Band,  H.  Kayser. 

•  Pfund,  Astrophy.  Jour.  27,  p.  296,  1908. 

•  Astrophy.  Jour.  39,  p.  93,  1914. 
"Astrophy.  Jour.  8,  p.  218,  1898. 


intensity.    These  elements  were  probably  present  as  impurities 
in  the  material  examined. 

Intensity  and  Character  of  Spectral  Lines  of  Yttrium 


Yntema  and  Hopkins 

I 

Eder 

I 

Notes 

2231  55 

1 

-  — 

2243.02 

4 

2243.03 

2 

2328.95 

1 

2331.67 

2 

2331.63 

1 

2332.59 

3 

2332.58 

2 

2340.80 

1 

2340.79 

1 

2343.55 

3d 

2349.71 

2 

2349.69 

1 

2354.21 

4 

2354.20 

3 

2355.42 

2 

2355.40 

1 

2358.75 

2 

2358.70 

2 

2361.82 

2 

2361.81 

2 

2373.86 

4 

2385.24 

5 

2385.24 

2 

2398.10 

2 

2398.06 

2 

2404.09 

1 

2404.11 

1 

2413.94 

3 

2413.94 

1 

2417.29 

2 

2417.29 

1 

2422  .  19 

7 

2422.20 

4 

2457  93 

1A 

2460.13 

2 

2460.11 

l 

2460.60 

3 

2460.60 

2 

2465.80 

2 

2479  09 

1 

2479  80 

1 

2490.44 

3 

2492  68 

Id 

2516  13 

2 

Silicon 

2529  14 

2540.31 

3d 

2540  28 

2545  61 

2d 

2547.57 

4 

2547.56 

2550.17 

2d 

2550.35 

2554  87 

2570  72 

2579  36 

2593  76 

2594.89 

2d 

2594  88 

2612  42 

Id 

2612  38 

2619  46 

2634.36 

1 

2634.32 

Yntema  and  Hopkins 

I 

Eder 

I 

Notea 

2647  .  76 

1(?) 

2647.74 

H 

2671.20 

y2 

2672  09 

3 

2672.08 

1 

2681  67 

3 

2681  65 

i 

2684  20 

1 

2684.20 

1A 

2694  18 

4 

2694.21 

2695  37 

3 

2695.40 

2699.01 

2 

2705  87 

2 

2705.85 

2710  15 

1(?) 

2710.15 

2720  04 

2d 

2719.99 

2723  01 

4 

2723  00 

3 

2730  09 

3 

2730.06 

1 

2733.93 

1 

2734  82 

2 

2734  85 

2 

2742.48 

5 

2742.55 

3 

2749.23 

1 

2750  17 

2 

2750  20 

2 

2755.79 

1 

2756.33 

1 

2760  08 

5 

2760.10 

3 

2772.28 

1 

(2779  85) 

1 

Magnesium 

2785  18 

2 

2785.19 

2 

2785.59 

2 

2785.58 

2 

2790.13 

1 

2791  23 

2 

2791.20 

1 

(2795.56) 
2800.10 

2 
3 

(2795.53) 
2800.12 

2 
2 

Magnesium 

2801  14 

1(?) 

(2802.73) 

2 

Magnesium 

2807.77 

1 

2807.66 

1 

2813.65 

3 

2813.66 

1 

2818  87 

2 

2818  87 

1 

2822.57 

2 

2822.56 

1 

2823.55 

1 

2824  48 

1 

2826  33 

2 

2834  42 

1 

2834.39 

1 

2835  78 

Id 

2840  83 

2 

2840  84 

1 

2842.44 

1 

2842  63 

Id 

2850  63 

1 

(2852.11) 

2 

Magnesium 

2854.42 

3 

2854.42 

2 

Yntema  and  Hopkins 

I 

Eder 

I 

Notes 

2856  30 

2 

2856.30 

2 

2857  91 

1 

2857  87 

1 

2871.23 

1 

2871.20 

1 

2873.29 

1 

2881.60 

2886  48 

1 

4 

(2881.60) 
2886  49 

3 
2 

_  Silicon 

2890  38 

2 

2890  40 

1 

2891.32 

1 

2897.68 

2 

2897  68 

1 

2898  81 

1 

2898  82 

1 

2901.46 

2d 

2901.48 

1 

2919.06 

6 

2919  06 

3 

2929  00 

1 

2930.00 

2 

2930.03 

2 

2930.75 

1 

2930  77 

1 

2935  91 

1 

2943  58 

1 

2948.41 

8 

2948  40 

4 

2948  78 

1 

2953  13 

1 

2953  14 

1 

2955.86 

1 

2955  86 

1 

2964.97 

7 

2964  95 

3 

2973.89 

1(?) 

2973.91 

1 

2974.60 

10 

2974.60 

4 

2977.99 

1 

2980  56 

2 

2980  55 

2 

2984.26 

10 

2984.25 

4 

2995.27 

3 

2995  25 

2 

2996  94 

3 

3005.26 

3 

3005.25 

2 

3009.51 

1 

3018  96 

3d 

3018  95 

2 

3021.73 

3 

3021.73 

3 

3022.28 

3 

3022  27 

3 

3023.73 

Id 

3023  70 

30.23.95 

ld(?) 

3023.99 

3027  68 

3030  08 

3036  59 

3037  82 

3038.44 

1 

3038  46 

3039  98 

3044  84 

2 

3044  84 

2 

3045.37 

4 

3047.13 

1 

3047.11 

1 

3047.36 

2 

3047.41 

1 

Yntema  and  Hopkine 

I 

Eder 

I 

Notes 

3049.88 

1 

3049.86 

1 

3051.52 

1 

3053.25 

1(?) 

3053.26 

2 

3054.49 

3(?) 

3054.41 

1 

3055.22 

3 

3055.21 

3 

(3056.33) 
(3059.52) 

1 
2 

(3056.33) 
(3059.50) 
3065.83 

1 
2 
1 

Sodium 
Dysprosium? 

3067  27 

1 

3069.10 

1(?) 

3069.04 

1 

3072.37 

2 

3072.32 

2 

3076  49 

2    • 

3076.49 

2 

3077.00 

1(?) 

3076.95 

1 

3078.57 

ld(?) 

3078.57 

1 

3080.29 

1 

(3082  16) 

1 

Aluminium 

3086.88 

3 

3086.84 

4 

3091.74 

3d 

3091.70 

3 

, 

(3092.71) 

3 

Aluminium 

3093  75 

3 

3095.49 

1 

3095.89 

3 

3095.88 

4 

3096  61 

Id 

3096  57 

1 

3103.29 
3103.72 

K?) 
1 

3103.25 
3103.69 

1 
2 

Dysprosium? 

3104  69 

1 

3104  69 

2 

3108  86 

2 

3109.77 

1 

Dysprosium  ? 

3110  50 

1 

3111  79 

3 

3111  80 

3 

3112.03 

3 

3112.03 

3 

3114  29 

2 

3114.27 

3 

3118  50 

1 

Holmium? 

3122  60 

1 

3126.00 

1 

3128.74 

3 

3129.96 

3 

3129.93 

4 

3133.15 

1 

3135.19 

4 

3135.16 

4 

3140  63 

1 

Dvsoro- 

3141.16 

1 

sium? 
Aldebaran- 

3144  20 

1 

ium? 

3152  68 

2d- 

3152  67 

2 

3155.66 

1 

Yntema  and  Hopkins 

I 

Eder 

I 

Notes 

3157.50 

1 

3158.36 

1 

(3158.88) 

1 

Calcium 

3159.47 

1 

3160.54 

1 

-Dyspro- 

3162.83 

1 

slum? 
Dyspro- 

3164.76 

1 

sium? 

3170.00 

1 

Dyspro- 

3171 72 

3 

3171  69 

2 

sium? 

3173.05 

3 

3173.05 

4 

3173.72 

1 

3174  36 

1 

3179.45 

4 

3179.40 

4 

3182.27 

1 

3182.23 

2 

3185  99 

1 

3185.93 

1 

3188.75 

1 

3191.38 

3 

3191.29 

3 

3193.29 

2 

3194.37 

2 

3195.66 

8 

3195.61 

6 

3197.69 

1 

3198.45 

1(?) 

3198.41 

2 

3200.29 

10 

3200.25 

6 

3203.37 

10 

3203.32 

6 

3203.82 

1 

3206.22 

1 

3209.35 

2 

3211.26 

1 

3212  24 

Id 

3212  28 

2 

3214.04 

1 

3215.20 

1 

Dyspro- 

3216.68 

10 

3216.67 

• 
10 

sium? 

3217  80 

1 

3220.72 

1 

3221  50 

1 

Dyspro- 

3222.02 

1 

sium? 

3223.28 

1 

Dyspro- 

3225 03 

3 

sium? 

3227  08 

1 

3227.69 

1 

Yntema  and  Hopkins 

I 

Eder 

I 

Notes 

3230  57 

2 

Holmiuin 

3231.32 

1 

3231  80 

2 

3235  88 

1 

Dysprosium 

3237.93 

1 

3239  29 

1 

3242  28 

8 

3242  28 

15 

3245  07 

1 

Dysprosium 

3247.02 

1 

3247.54 

4 

Copper 

3251  29 

2 

Dyspro- 

3252.34 

2(?) 

3252.27 

3 

sium? 

3255.82 

1 

3256  20 

1 

3257.52 

1 

3261.23 

1 

3262  .  39 

2 

3263  22 

1 

3264.77 

3 

Holmium? 

3267.24 

1 

3267  81 

1 

3269.11 

1 

3269.40 

1 

3270  94 

1 

3271  13 

1 

3273.04 

1 

3273  96 

3 

Copper? 

3275  56 

2 

3278.43 

2 

3279  35 

1 

Erbium? 

3280  13 

2 

Dysoro- 

3280.91 

4 

sium? 

.  .  4  

3281  98 

1 

Holmium? 

3282  45 

3 

3282.77 

1 

3283.21 

2 

3283  85 

1 

3286  68 

3 

3287.25 

1 

3287.21 

3 

3287.93 

1 

Dyspro- 

3289.37 

3 

sium? 
Aldebaran- 

3290.11 

1 

ium 

Yntema  and  Hopkins 

I 

Eder 

I 

Notes 

3290.56 

3 

3290.96 

1 

Holmium? 

3291  44 

1 

Dyspro- 

3293 44 

2 

sium? 

3293.68 

2 

3294  55 

1 

3298  26 

1 

3302.17 

2 

3302.56 

U 

3303  86 

1 

3304.32 

l/2 

3305.49 

1A 

3305  90 

1A 

3306  27 

y> 

3307.61 

1A 

3308  47 

3 

3308  84 

l 

3310.13 

1A 

3312  40 

1 

3312  67 

1A 

3315.40 

y2 

3316  32 

1A 

3317  03 

1A 

3318.52 

2 

3319.76 

3 

3320  60 

1 

3323  18 

1 

3327.97 

10 

3327.89 

15 

3330  90 

2 

3330.  £8 

2 

3333  42 

1 

3335.20 

2 

3336  18 

1 

3337  82 

2 

3338  76 

1 

3340.36 

2 

3340  37 

3 

3340  98 

1A 

3341  85 

1 

3344.51 

Id 

3344.53 

2 

3349  26 

1 

3352  64 

1A 

3353  56 

1A 

3354.57 

2 

3358.98 

2 

3358  94 

2 

3362  05 

5 

3361  99 

5 

3364.79 

2 

10 


Yntema  and  Hopkins 

Eder 

I 

Notes 

(3372.77) 

2 

Holmium 

3377.76 

2 

3377.72 

2 

3379  85 

1 

3382.85 

6 

3382.83 

M 

3383.06 

1 

3388  60 

3 

3388.58 

2 

3389  90 

2d 

3393.50 

1(?) 

3394.98 

1 

3397  05 

3 

3397.03 

3 

3399  02 

2 

3406.11 

1 

(3407.76) 

1 

Dysprosium 

3409  72 

Id 

3412.49 

2d 

3412.47 

2 

3424.14 

2d 

(3429.15) 

Id 

Holmium 

3431.00 

2 

3431.67 

2d 

3433.02 

1 

3437  98 

2d 

(3445.52) 

Id 

Dysprosium 

3448.85 

5 

3448.81 

4 

3450.88 

2 

3450.94 

2 

3453  03 

Id 

Holmium 

3456.01 

2d 

Holmium 

3461.01 

2 

3467.86 

4 

3467.88 

4 

3469.36 

1 

3470.14 

1 

3473  12 

2 

3474.28 

1 

3484.06 

2 

3485.75 

4 

3485.73 

4 

3496.06 

9 

3496.09 

8 

3497.23 

1 

3498.93 

2dv 

3500  63 

Id 

3501.96 

1 

3503.47 

Id 

3506.51 

2 

3507  95 

1 

3510.54 

Id 

3511.19 

Id 

3511.20 

3 

3521  52 

2d 

3512.90 

2 

11 


Yntema  and  Hopkins 

I 

Eder 

I 

Notes 

3531.65 

2 

(3538.49) 

Id 

Dysprosium 

3544.03 

4 

3544.93 

3)* 

3545  94 

1 

Holrnium? 

3548.98 

10 

3548.99 

6 

3551  76 

1 

3552  71 

5 

3552  69 

4 

3558.72 

4 

3562  .  74 

Id 

3564  00 

1 

3571.42 

3 

3571.44 

1 

3576.05 

4 

3576.04 

2 

3584  43 

7 

3584  51 

4 

3587.76 

3 

3587.75 

1 

3589.61 

2 

3592  85 

7 

3592  91 

4 

3600.69 

6 

3600.72 

6 

3601.92  " 

6BR 

3601.91 

5 

3608  84 

1 

3611.05 

8BR 

3611.05 

10 

3612.32 

2 

3616  62 

1 

3618  77 

1 

3620.93 

6BR 

3620.94 

6 

3628  69 

7BR 

3628.70 

5 

3633  01 

10BR 

3633  11 

8 

3635  32 

1 

3639.27 

3 

3664  62 

10BR 

3664  59 

10 

3668.51 

2 

3668.48 

3 

3692.54 

3 

3692.54 

6 

3694  20 

3 

Aldebaran- 

3696.62 

1 

ium 

3710.14 

10 

3710  30 

15 

3716  94 

1 

3718.10 

2 

3718.14 

3 

3724  76 

2 

3732  .  19 

1 

3738  60 

2 

3738  62 

2 

3747.59 

6BR 

3747.55 

3 

' 

3749.90 

2 

3755.50 

1 

(3757.27) 

1 

Holmium 

3760.02 

Id 

12 


Yntema  and  Hopkins 

I 

Eder 

Notes 

3761  45 

1 

Erbium 

3762  18 

1 

3769  51 

1 

3770.38 

2d 

3774  28 

10BR 

3774.33 

5 

3776  53 

6BR 

3782.26 

1 

3788  62 

10BR 

3788.69 

5 

(3796  65) 

1 

Holmium 

(3810  72) 

1 

Holmiura 

3818  32 

6BR 

3818  37 

3 

3825.91 

1 

3832  84 

10BR 

3832.87 

2 

3836  79 

Id 

3840.43 

ii* 

3843  43 

Id 

i 

3847  87 

3v 

.  " 

(3872  12) 

1 

Dysprosium 

3876  82 

2 

3878  31 

4 

3878.27 

i 

3884  81 

1 

3887  81 

2 

3887.93 

2 

3890  13 

1 

3890  95 

Id 

3892.39 

1 

3892.41 

2 

3900.27 

1 

3904  56 

2 

3904  59 

2 

3913  66 

1 

3918  30 

2 

3930  66 

4 

3930  65 

3 

3942  53 

Id 

Dyspro- 

3944 74 

1 

sium? 
Dyspro- 

3946 20 

1 

3946  20 

2 

sium? 

3946  95 

1(?) 

3950  36 

10BR 

3950  35 

5 

3951  60 

3 

3955  05 

2 

3955  09 

3 

3967  72 

1 

3973  53 

ld(?) 

3973  45 

2 

3982  61 

10 

3982  60 

8 

3987  48 

1 

3987  50 

1 

(4000.54) 
(4008  00) 

K?) 
i 

(4000.44) 

3 

Holmium 
Erbium 

4029.85 

i 

4029.86 

1 

13 


Yntema  and  Hopkins 

I 

Eder 

I 

Notes 

4030.83 

5)* 

4039  80 

5 

4047.69 

7 

4047.65 

6 

4049  45 

1(?) 

(4053  93) 

Idv 

Holmium 

4065  02 

1 

4076.39 

8>  + 

4077  38 

10 

r 

4079  14 

1(?) 

4080  93 

i 

4081  .  19 

2d 

4081.23 

i 

4083  74 

7 

4083  71 

5 

4085  50 

1 

4090.45 

1 

4095  45 

Id 

4099  30 

1 

4099  85 

1 

4102  35 

10BR 

4102.38 

10 

4106  41 

2 

4106  39 

1 

4110.82 

2 

4110.81 

2 

4124  96 

4 

J* 

4125  93 

5 

4128  25 

10BR 

4128  32 

10 

4142  89 

9BR 

4142.87 

10 

4157  63 

3 

4157  63 

2 

(4163  10) 

Id 

Holmium 

4167.56 

8 

4167.52 

8 

4169  42 

1(?) 

4174  16 

7 

4174  14 

4 

4177  54 

10BR 

4177  51 

5 

(4186  83) 

Id 

Dysprosium 

4191  26 

ld(?) 

4199.26 

3 

4199.28 

3 

*  The  values  given  by  Kayser  and  others  agree  with  those  found  by  the  authors. 
It  is  suggested  that  the  discrepancies  may  be  due  to  clerical  errors. 

The  impurities  found  to  be  present  in  the  yttrium  material  were 
the  rare  earth  elements,  holmium,  erbium,  and  dysprosium, 
besides  magnesium,  and  silicon.  The  presence  of  the  rare  earths 
is  to  be  expected  in  small  amounts.  The  order  of  increasing  solu- 
bility of  the  bromates,  which  were  used  for  the  first  step  in  the 
purification  of  the  yttrium,  is  as  follows:— 

Dy,  Ho,  F,  Er 


14 

The  final  purification  was  accomplished  by  methods  depending 
on  differences  in  basicity.  The  order  of  decreasing  basicity  is  as 
follows: — 

F,  Dy,  Ho,  Er 

Complete  separation  of  yttrium  from  its  less  basic  neighbors  is 
hardly  possible,  but  the  separation  was  so  nearly  complete  that 
their  most  prominent  lines  were  found  to  be  of  the  faintest  order 
in  the  spectrograms  obtained. 

The  solution,  from  which  the  yttrium  was  precipitated  as  oxa- 
late,  had  stood  in  Jena  glass  for  some  time;  the  silicon  and  possibly 
the  magnesium  were  introduced  by  solution  of  the  glass. 

Attention  may  be  called  to  the  fact  that  the  yttrium  material 
examined  has  a  few  lines  in  common  with  the  eurosamarium  of 
Eder.11  Lines  4309.65  A°,  4174. 16A°,  and  3950. 35A°  are  promi- 
nent yttrium  lines  and  they  are  reported  as  faint  lines  of  eurosa- 
marium. Other  prominent  yttrium  lines,  however,  were  not  found 
by  Eder  in  eurosamarium.  There  are  several  instances  of  coinci- 
dence of  rather  faint  lines,  such  as  those  at  4090 . 45  A°  and  3129 . 96 
A°,  but  these  are  probably  accidental.  It  must  be  concluded 
that  Eder's  material  contained  no  more  than  a  very  small  per 
cent  of  yttrium. 

It  may,  also,  be  noted  that  Kayser,12  reports  two  lines, 
5205. 72A°,  and  5200. 41A°,  as  yttrium  lines  of  intensity  6,  while 
they  are  reported  by  Eder  as  eurosamarium  lines  of  intensity  10. 

SUMMARY 

1.  The  arc  spectrum  of  yttrium  used  for  the  determination  of 
the  accepted  atomic  weight,  89.33,  was  examined  by  means  of  a 
quartz  prism. 

2.  Lines  between  the  wave  lengths  4526  A°  and  2330  A°  were 
measured  and  their  intensities  and  character  recorded. 

3.  The  results  found  were  compared  with  those  of  previous 
investigators. 

»  Sitz.  K.  Akad.  Wiss.,  Wien.  126,  Ha  (1917),  473. 
u  Loc.  cit. 


15 


4.  The  impurities  present  in  the  yttrium  were  holmium,  erbium, 
dysprosium,  sodium,  magnesium,  silicon  and  platinum,  but  all 
were  in  extremely  small  amounts. 

5.  A  number  of  new  lines  were  photographed  and  their  wave 
lengths  determined. 

URBANA,  ILL. 
JUNE  1,  1921. 


VITA 

The  author  was  born  in  St.  Johns,  Michigan  on  July  29,  1892. 
He  received  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Holland 
Township  and  Holland,  Michigan.  He  graduated  from  the  Hope 
College  Preparatory  Department  in  1911  and  received  the  degree 
of  A.  B.  from  Hope  College  in  1915.  The  Graduate  School  of  the 
University  of  Illinois  granted  him  the  degree  of  M.  A.  in  Chemis- 
try in  1917.  From  1915  to  1917  and  from  1919  to  1920  he  held 
the  position  of  Assistant  in  Chemistry  and  during  the  year  1920 
to  1921  he  was  the  Robert  F.  Carr  Fellow  in  Chemistry  at  the 
University  of  Illinois. 


Gaylord  Bros. 

Makers 
Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

PAT.  JAN  21,  1908 


np^ 


478657 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


in 


Mi 


